Materials Needed: Toothpicks, Paper, Small tube of toothpaste 1 per group of 3-5 students, breath mint (one per person)
Explain that this activity's focus is on Respect. Start by asking these three questions to the class:
How does respect look?
How does respect sound?
How does respect feel? Allow for five minutes of discussion. Make sure to include how respectful words can make someone feel good, the tone of something respectful, facial expressions, body language etc.
Divide the large group into groups of 3-5, depending on how many are in your advisory class. Everyone must introduce themselves. Give each small group a piece of paper, tube of toothpaste, and a toothpick.
Tell the small groups that they each have 2 min to write the letter “R” on their paper with the toothpaste only.
After 2 min stop the groups, and share with them that a bully is now among us. Someone who has not been respectful to his peers, making rude comments and gestures, sending cyber threats and writing mean posts, even gossiping and spreading rumors. Tell the groups that the toothpaste now represents these hurtful words/gossip vs. respectful words. The students' job is to now “take back” those hurtful words and gossip and put the toothpaste back in the tube. They may not use any other tools than the toothpick. Give them 2 min to try.
At the end of two minutes stop them. Discuss as a whole group how far they got and why this was a difficult task. Words hurt/Gossip hurts and it’s impossible to take “disrespectful, hurtful” words back. This serves as an excellent visual demonstration of the power of words because in the end, it’s very messy.
Watch the Words Hurt video (3 min) Words are Worse than Sticks and Stones Reminder to students that it is up to each of us to control our words and our actions, as there may be many like this student Alye among us
Give everyone a breath mint when this activity is done as a reminder to brush up on respectful words, and make sure what comes out of your mouth is clean!!
Time: 20-30 min
Materials Needed: Toothpicks, Paper, Small tube of toothpaste 1 per group of 3-5 students, breath mint (one per person)
Watch the Words Hurt video (3 min) Words are Worse than Sticks and Stones
Reminder to students that it is up to each of us to control our words and our actions, as there may be many like this student Alye among us
Follow up video that Alye made, one year later: Words Hurt One Year Later
Give everyone a breath mint when this activity is done as a reminder to brush up on respectful words, and make sure what comes out of your mouth is clean!!